Friday, November 1, 2013

Fabulous Friday Feature-Sarah Grimm

Scroll to the end of the post to see how to enter.International readers can enter!! See how, below.

I met Sarah in my local ACFW chapter this last June. We talked again at the August meeting. She wore these awesome pink shoes. She twirled and smiled, "This is one of my outfits for the conference." I knew for sure at that moment what a fun person Sarah is. I asked Sarah to tell us how God led her on her writing journey. Here is what she said:

God Wouldn't Let Me Dodge His Calling

First
of all, I want to thank Mary for being gracious enough to let me post on her
website today. I am so excited about the release of my young adult novelette,
BREATHLESS.

I
write fantasy (you know, the weird stuff like dragons, werewolves, and magical
powers). I’m also a Christian. Yes, I’m a Christian who writes fantasy. We do
exist. I can’t explain it, I just love the genre. I used to sneak off with my
dad’s Ann McCaffrey books—Dragonriders of Pern—and make up stories about what
was inside seeing as I couldn’t read them yet, and no one would read them to
me.

The
way I look at it, God blesses us with passions so we’ll use the talents He gives
us. But we have to listen and obey. Big catch, huh? I’ll be the first to admit
that it can be hard to actually do what God calls us to do. It was for me. It
still is. As much as I love it, I have doubts. And fears.

Doubt
and fears hindered me so much that, earlier this year, I decided to quit being
a writer. I was done.

Except
. . .

I’d
made a couple of commitments. First, I’d paid for a couple writer’s conferences
I hadn’t yet attended. Second, I had an invitation-only opportunity to write a
short story for a publisher. Not wanting to let anyone down (or miss out on an
opportunity I still hoped for deep inside) I decided to follow through with
both of these endeavors. Then, I’d quit.

My
husband was not pleased with the idea because he knew I’d be unhappy not
writing. I told him I’d still write. I love writing, so I’d do it in my spare
time—no pressure to be published. I’d dodge all the things I was afraid of:
failure, rejection, heartache.

The
easy way out. Yeah, I’d take my little light and put it under a bushel. Bushels
are so safe and cozy anyway.

Wait.
What? That’s right. Who gives us our talents? God. And if he wants me to write,
who am I to quit? Who am I to decide the talent he gave me isn’t good enough?

So
I sat down on my couch, put my head in my hands and said, “God, I’m so sorry
for doubting you. I don’t want to doubt anymore. Teach me not to doubt.”

An
hour later, I checked my email. There was a shiny new contract for my
novelette, Breathless. Just like
that!

He
was just waiting for me to give it all up, lay it all as His feet, and stop
doubting His plans. Do I love writing? Yes. So much.

You
can learn more about me and what I’m writing on my website: www.sdgrimm.com

Breathless
is an urban fantasy. For those of you unfamiliar with whatever that is, it’s
fantasy set in a city, sometimes it’s in the future, sometimes present.

The
story takes place in a few cities—Podunk towns actually. Yup, there’s a road
trip involved, and it’s in this awesome, awesome ride.

Yeah,
I know.

What if one touch could unlock a thousand memories?

Eighteen year old Claire Summers has a rare gift she must keep secret, she's a Breather—someone who can see other people’s memories by touching an object they’ve touched. When she stumbles across a memory of her friend in danger, she'll do anything to help rescue him. The problem is, her secret will be revealed. If the wrong people find out about her ability, they’ll hunt her because Breathers are powerful weapons.

And
for your reading pleasure, here’s an excerpt:

My
shoes crushed the thick grass. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Damp, summer
air swirled around me unable to cut through the heavy fog. Headstones, cracked
and crooked, spread across the grassy hill. I’d been here before. My dreams
often brought me to this cemetery. The full moon lit my way down a familiar
path. Even though I was dreaming, I was chilly in my tank top and shorts.

I
headed toward the tallest headstone on the hill’s crest. No flowers or American
flags decorated this soul’s final resting place. I reached out, like I had the
other times I’d dreamed this, and I knew what to expect. Before I could touch
the stone, my subconscious would pull me back and I’d wake on my bouncing bed
feeling like I’d fallen from somewhere high.

The
rough stone was cool beneath my fingers.

Three
translucent figures walked away from me, passing through the untouched fog. Two
men, one held a young boy’s hand, the other followed them. The boy looked so
familiar. They walked through the headstones littering the hillside as if they
were insubstantial, and then flickered out.

My chest tightened. Was I dreaming
or not? Thunder rolled closer. I
backed away from the creepy headstone and stepped on something slippery. Arms
flailing, I lost my balance. I landed in the moist grass. Pain shot up my elbow
as it connected with rock.

“Back here. Quick.” The whisper
turned my blood to ice.

“I’m dreaming,” I said aloud since
this was too freaky to be real.

“Dream? No, sweetheart, you’re in
a trance. Snap out of it or whatever it is you Breathers do.” The stranger’s
voice rasped.

I froze, watching him inch closer.
Breather? What was he talking about? My head cleared like a fan turned on and
blew the fog from my brain, and I realized my situation. I so wasn’t dreaming. This was real. This was real?

I faced the stranger hiding behind
a headstone and caught a glimpse of his rifle. Oh holy night.

To enter the contest for a pdf copy of

Sarah Grimm's book: "Breathless":

leave a comment (and email address)

and become a follower of this site if you aren't already.US and International friends

Peggy,I have to agree with you. I only met Sarah this summer and immediately felt the joy of God in her life and her enthusiasm for writing. We have been blessed because she followed God's call. How awesome is that!Looking forward to seeing you again, Peggy.

Pegg,Yes, good words "get out of His way." I am guilty, too of stepping off the path He has for me. Good thing He has long arms to pull us back to safety.Thanks for stopping by, Pegg. Loved chatting with you.

Connie,I'd probably say the same about fantasy, but I found, as I think you will, that when I read a fantasy book with my daughter, we have great conversations about the book. It becomes a great avenue to share time together. I highly recommend Sarah's new book.

Twitter Talk

My guests and friends

Photo Credit

Header photo from freedigitalphotos.net

FTC Rules

According to new FTC rules I must let you, the reader know, that all views shared on this blog are strictly my own. Books to review are either provided for me by the author, publisher or ones I have purchased and I am under no obligation whatsoever to present anything, but my true opinion on any product. I receive no monetary compensation for anything written on this blog. Any giveaways on this blog are provided by the author/ publisher and I am not responsible for any views they express in their work or on this site. Giveaways are void were prohibited and chances of winning are based on the number of applicants. A random winner is drawn when a book is given away.